How to Make Royal Icing |Fresh Egg Whites, Meringue, Liquid Egg Whites|

1. Fresh Egg Whites

As you may have heard, shell eggs can contain bacteria such as Salmonella. For this reason, food-safety guidelines recommend avoiding raw, unpasteurized egg whites when making royal icing for young children, pregnant women, older adults, or anyone with a weakened immune system. If you’d like to learn more about Egg Safety (via FDA).

I often use fresh egg whites to make royal icing stronger when building a gingerbread house. When using fresh egg whites, I recommend using pasteurized ones whenever possible. If they aren’t available, use eggs from a reputable source and store and handle them properly.

In 2022, the FDA released an Egg Safety Final rule (via FDA)with requirements designed to reduce the risk of Salmonella contamination in shell eggs.

2. Fresh Eggs in-shell pasteurized

Although they can be harder to find, pasteurized shell eggs are available in some U.S. grocery stores. The shells are typically stamped with letter “P” inside a circle. According to the FDA, pasteurized shell eggs can be used in recipes that call for raw applications (via FDA), such as royal icing. Learn more about the pasteurization process.
Pasteurized shell egg whites may appear slightly cloudy compared to fresh shell eggs.

3. Liquid Egg Whites

You can use All Whites Egg Whites (from a carton); they are pasteurized and safe to use uncooked. You can find Liquid Egg Whites in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, usually somewhere around shell eggs.

4. Meringue Powder

To make royal icing, I primarily use Wilton Meringue Powder. It has a long shelf life and is safe to use uncooked. Meringue Powder consists of pasteurized dried egg whites, gum, cornstarch, and stabilizers such as cream of tartar.

HOW TO MAKE ROYAL ICING TASTE BETTER?

Because it doesn’t taste like much on its own, I flavor it with extracts and natural flavors. My favorite icing to use is my Fresh Lemon Royal Icing (made with meringue powder). I like to use fresh lemon juice in addition to Vanilla and Almond extract. Lemon adds a refreshing flavor. It also cuts down on the sweetness of otherwise very sweet icing. Almond and vanilla round it out into what I call Holy Trinity Flavor.

If you’re not a fan of lemon, you can flavor royal icing with other extracts. I always begin with vanilla extract, then add other flavorings to taste. Stick with alcohol- and water-based flavorings, and avoid oil-based ones, as they can affect the icing’s structure and cause it to break. For example, it can show up as icing that never dries. And let’s not overlook plain vanilla! I especially love it when flavored with both vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. It’s simple, but oh so delicious.

CONFECTIONERS’ POWDERED SUGAR

I prefer to use powdered sugar that I don’t have to sift. If your powdered sugar has a lot of hard lumps, sift it. Powdered sugar contains a small amount of starch (3% of the sugar’s weight) to prevent caking.

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED

• Stand Mixer with a paddle attachment
• Handheld Mixer with 2 beaters
• Kitchen Scale
• Spatula
• Bowls
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Whisk
• Piping Bags
• Food Colors

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ROYAL ICING RECIPES

Instructions for making royal icing are pretty much the same, regardless of the egg whites you use. When preparing royal icing, I always make it stiff; this means that icing can hold a stiff peak without the very tip bending. Starting with stiff icing has a great advantage of being able to use it for a variety of tasks: piped flowers, creating texture, and thinning it down to different consistencies. However, if you’re decorating a larger amount of cookies and need a large amount of flood consistency, I encourage you to prepare the flood icing in the mixer by adding a small amount of water to stiff icing to reach the desired consistency for your project.

• clean the bowl
• meringue powder royal icing
• fresh egg whites royal icing (these can be fresh or pasteurized shell eggs)
• liquid egg whites royal icing (pasteurized egg whites in a carton)
• Fresh Lemon Royal Icing Recipe (my personal favorite, using meringue)

Clean the bowl

The mixing bowl and any tools that come in contact with royal icing should be completely grease-free. See, even small traces of fat can cause icing to break. And so, before I begin, I like to wipe the bowl, mixing attachment, and other tools with a little white vinegar or lemon juice. I have a royal icing-designated spatula that I only use with royal icing, which helps a lot, too.

Royal icing recipe with meringue powder

Flavoring royal icing made with meringue powder is super easy. You can use water in the recipe as a flavor carrier. What I mean is that you can replace some of the water with freshly squeezed lemon juice or coffee, or use dry drink powder to create unique flavors.

• Meringue powder
• Powdered sugar
• Cream of tartar – I used cream of tartar to stabilize icing; it helps prevent overbeating and slightly whitens the icing
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• Lukewarm water
• Vanilla extract

Whisking the meringue and cream of tartar in water first helps reconstitute egg white proteins, making smooth and glossy icing and ensuring both powders dissolve before adding powdered sugar, avoiding stray pockets in the icing.

After you add powdered sugar, beat the mixture on low speed until the sugar is incorporated and the icing starts to thicken. Continue mixing until the icing is smooth, thick, and glossy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is well combined. On low speed, mix in extracts. Scrape out the icing into an airtight container. Cover the opening with food wrap and close tightly with a lid. Store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks; in the fridge, it will keep for 4 weeks.

Royal icing with fresh egg whites

• Fresh egg whites or egg whites from pasteurized shell eggs (process is the same for both)
• Powdered sugar
• Cream of tartar (substitute 1tsp lemon juice)
• Vanilla, Almond, Lemon Extracts

Crack the room-temperature eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Into a clean mixing bowl, add egg whites. Next, on low speed, beat in cream of tartar until the egg whites are broken up and foamy. Then, on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar.

Mix until the icing thickens, then add the extracts. Mix well and scrape the bowl to incorporate all ingredients. Once icing is thick, store or use immediately. If icing appears too soft, add an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Fresh egg white royal icing keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or 2-3 days at room temperature.

Liquid egg whites royal icing

• Liquid egg whites (from a carton)
• Powdered sugar
• Cream of tartar (substitute 1 tsp lemon juice)
• Vanilla, Almond and Lemon Extracts

Liquid egg whites are already liquid. Once you open the carton, you’ll see they look and feel thinner than fresh egg whites. This is normal. During pasteurization, the egg white proteins are heated and denatured, which makes pasteurized egg whites more fluid (via eating well) and slightly cloudier than their fresh counterparts.

Pour the liquid egg whites into a mixing bowl. On low speed, beat in the cream of tartar. Gradually add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides to make sure all powdered sugar in mixed in.

Then beat in the extracts and continue beating until the icing is thick, smooth, and glossy. Mixing the icing with a handheld mixer takes about 5-7 minutes. Use immediately, or store for later; keep it in the fridge, well covered, for up to 2 weeks.

Tip: Before scraping the icing off the beaters into a bowl, take a moment to check that none of the icing on the beaters is crusted; sometimes it can happen. Those little crusted bits can be especially frustrating when you’re piping.

PIN IT for later

This recipe was first published in 2010. In 2019, I updated this recipe post with new step-by-step instructions and pictures.

This post contains affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love. Learn more about my affiliate policy here.

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